Horn.



L. G. HARTDORN.

HORN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 26.1915.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

aw .i /0 4/ J71}? INVENTOR LOUIS G. HARTDORN, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

HORN.

Application filed November 26, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS G. HAn'rDoRN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved automobile horn and is preferably designed to provide a convenient and easily operated hand horn, the sound being caused by the vibration of a diaphragm, this vibration being brought about by the rotation of a toothed or corrugated disk which bears against a pin or head on the diaphragm.

The invention is designed to provide a horn of this kind in which the rotation of the disk for causing the vibration is brought about by the operation of a spiral which is engaged in turn by a sliding or reciprocating sleeve to which the handle is attached, the connections, however, between these parts being so constructed and disposed so as to minimize the friction and to make the starting of the horn-operating mecha nism easy.

The horn is one in which the operation of the handle, both by pressing it or rotating it, causes a sounding of the horn, the rotative motion being used when a short or light blast is desired, and is also utilized when by any chance it might be hard to start the longitudinal movement of the operating stem to which the handle is secured.

The invention is further designed to provide a horn that has means thereon for varying its angle, being provided. with an attaching device so connected to the casing or support of the horn so that, irrespective of the position of the supporting bracket, the horn can be shifted to present the operating handle either vertically, horizontally or at any other desired angle.

The invention is further designed to provide a construction of this kind which is cheaply made, easily lubricated and which can be easily assembled.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a section of a horn of my improved construction, the amplifying part or trumpet of the horn being broken away. Fig. 2 is a section on line 22,in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3, in Fig. 1. i

The horn has an ordinary horn casing which has an amplifying or trumpet device Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 24, 1918.

Serial No. 63,402.

as 11 on the front end and a diaphragm 12, the diaphragm 12 being usually fastened in place by suitable fastening means around its edge, such as the bolts 13, one of which is shown. These parts are of any desired form and proportion and are what are now commonly used in this type of alarm. A bracket is secured to the casing in any suitable way, the bracket comprising a lower bearing member 14 which has an upwardly extending part 15 and means for supporting the upper portion of the operating mechanism, one form being in the shape of a U- shaped bracket having arms 16 and a connecting part 17 connected to the part 15 by screws 18. A barrel 19 is secured in place usually by screwing it into the upper arm 16 as at 20 so that a shoulder 21 abuts against the upper end of the upper arm 16, the whole being, locked against accidental movement by a lock-nut 22. The barrel 19 passes down through an open ing 23 in the lower arm 16 and has its lower end 24 fitting into a cup 25, which cup has secured thereto means for operating the diaphragm of the horn, the form shown consisting of a wheel 26 having teeth or corrugations 27 on its edge which are adapted to abut against a stud 29 fastened to the diaphragm 12. The cup rests on balls 30 in a retainer 31, the balls preferably rotating on a hard steel bearing plate 32, the retainer being mounted around a stud 33. Sliding within the extension 34 of the barrel 19 is a sleeve 35 which is provided at one end with a suitable form of handle 36, the handle being usually made broad so as to receive a large surface of the hand to prevent bruising and to make its operation easy. The lower part of the sleeve has an enlarged part 37 fitting on the inside of the barrel 19 and acting to hold balls 38, the balls traveling in the grooves 39 of a spiral bar 40, the spiral bar being made in different ways if desired, one manner, however, being to twist a square bar to :provide the spiral projections and recesses. The spiral bar has, at the top of it, a collar 40 to limit the upward movement of the sleeve 35, this upward movement being caused by a spring 41 which passes down through a bore 42 inside the spiral bar and has one end resting on a head 43 of a pin 44, the pin passing down through holes in the eX- tension 45 of the spiral bar 40 and also through the bottom 46 of the cup The pin 44: has its lower end resting on the upward by bearing against it, this being' usually done by permitting the spring 41 to abut against the bottom of the handle. The handle where the spring abuts on it, if desired, may be provided with a valve 47 fitting into a valve-seat 4:8 in the handle. The valve-seat is preferably provided with a stem 49 to prevent undue twisting or buckling of the spring.

Screwed or otherwise suitably fastened to the extension of the spiral bar 40 is a ball clutch 5,0 which has recessed parts 51 between the arms 52, the inner walls of the recessed parts being eccentrically arranged as at 53, these recesses receiving the balls 54. so that when the spiral bar, carrying with it the ball clutch, is rotated in one direction, the balls are pressed into locking engagement with the inner walls of the cup 25 and rotated, and when operated in the other di rection, they are released and have no effect on the rotation or movement of the cup 25 and consequently of the diaphragm vibrating element. The spring is supported on the bottom by the pin 4-1 andhas no frictional engagement with the spiral bar and thus minimizes the power necessary to'operate the horn. The connections and dispositions of the parts also allow the cup 25 to have, in a sense, arather flexible connection with the spiral and any sticking of the parts is prevented, since the cup 25 and the wheel 26 are freely rotatable on the barrel 19 and on the balls 30 and are not affected by the pressure of the spring 41, since they are not subjected to any of its pressure by reason of the pin 44: being the limit against which the spring abuts.

The valve at is used for lubrication, and oil inserted through the hole 18 passes down within the structure, some of it acting to lubricate the spiral bar 10 and some of it passing down through the openings through which the pin 44: extends, permitting a sufficient amoimt of oil to pass into the ball clutch and to the balls 30-.

The particular arrangement and construction of the anti-friction bearings is not essential, and difierent forms'of constructions can be employed, it being advisable, however, to. so construct the device that the pressure ot the spring for returning the handle does not counteract against the diaphragm operating mechanism to cause any binding or undue friction, and in so supporting the spring I have devised a freely operable mechanism which has .no tightly bind-ing parts. The different portions, however, are connected so as to give good contact when it is essen tial to transmit motion from one element to the other.

I have constructed the horn with attaching means that is so disposed that the horn casing can be secured to a vehicle in any position, but at the same time can be adjusted so as to present its handle at any desired angle. In the form shown the bracket 55 has a rear arm 56, the bearing part 57 of which is opposite the center of the horn casing and is connected thereto by a screw 58 so that the horn casing can be turned on, this screw, The bracket 55 has ashort arm 59, the bearing of which is in line with any of the fastoning screws 13 of the casing so. that by simply unfastening the indicated screws 13 around the periphery or flange of; the casing,

the casing can be held in any rotative; position, as will be evident. The bracket 55. can be secured to a vehicle in any desired manner either through screw holes therein orby other means, and when attached either horie zontallyv or vertically, the horn casing can be adjusted by means of its attachment-to the bracket so that its handle and operating stem or. sleeve will project at the desired angle.

If it is thought desirable the space between the bottom of the bore 42 and the bot tom edge of the head 43 is slighter than the distance between the top of the clutch 50 and the bore of the barrel 19 so-that upward movement of the spiral bar, which carries the clutch is limited by said head 43. to prevent any binding between the clutch and the returning it to normal position, and means extending through an opening in the cupshaped member for supporting the other end of thespring.

2. A diaphragm horn comprisinga cupshaped member, bearings for said cupshaped member including a sleeve projecting into its open end, a diaphragm vibrating device operated from said cup-shaped member, a stem slidable longitudinal-1y on said sleeve, means connecting thev stem and the cup for rotating the cup when the stem 1s slid, a spring having one end abutting on the stem, and means extending through an opening provided. in the cup for supporting the other end of the spring,"said supporting means being independent of the cup. and stem.

3. A diaphragm horn comprising a cup,

anti-friction bearings supporting said cup, a clutch within the cup, a spiral bar secured to the clutch, a slidable sleeve having means thereon for engaging the bar to turn the bar when the sleeve is slid, the bar having a bore therein, a spring in the bore and engaging the sleeve to return the sleeve to its normal position, and a pin projecting through the bottom of the cup the clutch and the lower portion of the stem and supporting the lower end of the spring.

a. A diaphragm horn comprising upper and lower bearings, a barrel fixedly supported in the upper bearings, a cup supported on the lower bearing and adapted to rotate around the barrel, diaphragm operating mechanism connected to the cup, a sleeve sliding within the barrel, a spiral bar Within the sleeve, means projecting from the inner side of the sleeve to engage the spiral bar to rotate the bar when the sleeve is slid, an extension on the bar, a clutch member secured on such extension and adapted to connect the cup and said extension when the bar is rotated in one direction, the bar having a bore therein, a spring in the bore with its upper end acting on the stem to yieldingly hold it in its normal position, a pin supported by the lower bearing and projecting through the bottom of the cup and through the extension on the bar, said pin having means on the end within the bore of the bar for supporting the bottom end of the spring.

5. A horn comprising a horn casing, a bracket having a long arm at one end and a short arm at the other end, means for rotatably securing the horn casing at its center to the long arm, and means for securing the short arm of the bracket to 'the periphery of the horn at selective points.

6. A horn comprising a casing having a flange at one end, a bracket having a short arm and a long arm, means for securing the long arm to the center of the casing so that the casing can be rotated, and means for securing separated points on the flange to the short arm.

7. A horn comprising a horn casing, a sound amplifier, a bracket, means for attaching the casing to the bracket so that it is rotatable on an axis extending longitudinally through the amplifier and through the casing, and means for securing said casing in certain rotative positions.

8. In a device of the character specified the combination of a casing provided with an annular flange, a member protruding from the central back portion of said casing, a plurality of bolts extending through said flange, a bracket having one upwardly extending arm, which arm is provided with a hole whereby it may embrace said member protruding from the central back portion of said casing, and another arm provided with a hole whereby it may be secured to said flange by any one of the bolts passing through said flange.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto set my hand, this 24th day of November, 1915.

LOUIS Gr. HARTDORN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

